Ohio teacher may be fired over duct-taped students

AKRON, Ohio (AP) – A northeast Ohio middle-school teacher has until later this week to respond to an allegation that she posted a Facebook photo of her students with their mouths covered with duct tape.

The Akron Public Schools Board of Education voted last week to pursue the firing of Melissa Cairns. She’s a math teacher at Buchtel Community Learning Center.

The school district says the photo, posted on Cairn’s personal Facebook page, showed some of her students with duct tape across their mouths. The caption read: “Finally found a way to get them to be quiet!!!” The district says a colleague of Cairns’ notified a supervisor of the photo.

The Akron Beacon Journal (http://bit.ly/WB2K39) reports that Cairns was put on paid leave Oct. 19. She hasn’t responded to requests for comment.